Dear Lost Child
by The Black Swan
Summary: Hermione has suffered a loss, and Draco is suffering new feelings from a silent encounter in a grave yard. Though distant their relationship is, can Draco show Hermione that there are others who love her too?
1. Shocks and Tears

I don't own Harry Potter in anyway. Mrs. Rowling owns everything except Andrew, who is mine. And my poem. That was written by me.

Title: Dear Lost Child

Chapter One: Shocks and Tears

He watched her move solemly between the grave stones, a bouquet of the darkest red roses in her hands. The chilling fall wind seeped through the fibers of his clothes as he watched her in her long black dress and warm black cloak lined with gold silk. Her dark chocolate hair danced it's way down her back to her waist in a flood of waves as the wind swept it around. Her face was turned away from him, yet he felt as if he'd seen her before.

"She's pretty, isn't she?" a voice spoke up behind him. Draco Malfoy turned to see his blonde cousin, Donnavon Malfoy, had broken away from the group surrounding the open grave. "She comes here every day and talks to the grave, brings him new flowers, and all that. The town nut right there."

"Do you know who she is?" Draco asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"No. Just that she's always here." Draco nodded and turned back to the lowering of his Father's coffin into the ground. His mother stood near, a stony look on her face covered by a black veil. Even at her own husband's funeral, she still managed to look immaculate.

Draco watched as the coffin was levitated into the ground and thought about how life would be like with out his father there. Blessed, maybe. Absent of a few luxuries. At least he'd left behind a hefty sum of money for his family. Having never felt any real love for his Father, he could only watch and not even cry as it hit bottom and was being covered by dirt.

His Mother moved over to him and grasped is arm. "I'll be home in a little bit, Mother. I have some business to attend to." She nodded silently and apparated back to the Malfoy Mansion.

Draco set across the cemetry to find the girl in the black dress. He walked silently through the blanket of dead leaves covering the ground and coating the stones of angels and such around him. A snowflake fluttered down and stuck his dark eyelashes and he looked up at the dark sky. More fell to his shoulder length platinum hair and his black, hooded cloak covering his black silk shirt and pants. The first snowflakes of winter. He chuckled to himself at the strange weather, for at the end of August, it wasn't supposed to snow.

He found her sitting in front of a granite head stone, tracing the carved letters that were sunk into the rock. Quietly they stepped behind a large stone angel, watching and listening to her talk to it.

"I miss you...I wish I could see you again. I wish that I could hear your voice. I took you for granted. You should see the way these people look at me. They think I've lost my mind...perhaps I have. I don't know anything anymore. All I know is that soon, I won't be coming to visit you. I've school. But I will think of you every day that I'm away. I'll never love anyone as much as you. I'll never ever betray you like that. I know what we said that night on the boat, but it will never happen. I will never have anyone but you. I miss you and I love you." Hot tears fell down her face as she weeped, leaning against the stone. Softly, she kissed it, then stood, replacing the old roses with the new and swept away from the grave. As she turned away, Draco got a glimpse of her face and immediately recognized her as Hermione Granger. He was so shocked that he stepped back in alarm, his foot landing on an odd branch and snapping it in half. He winced for the snapping was extremely loud in the silence. She heard and swept around, her eyes wide and searching.

_Damnit. This is wonderful._ He thought and kept as still as possible, hardly breathing. After a moment, she turned and walked swiftly across the cemetry and out the gates. He breathed a sigh of relief and stepped around the angel to look at the grave she had been visiting. "Andrew William Sebastian Traclin lll, June 4, 1986 - May 26, 2006. Beloved son, brother, friend, and fiance. He will be in all our hearts for eternity," read the grave stone. Beneath the name, a rose and stone printed picture entertwined together. A handsome man of 19, with dark hair and eyes. Draco stepped back and and looked toward the gates again, before apparating back to the Mansion.

The piercing whistle of the Hogwarts Express kick started Hermione Granger into action. Locked in that dazed area between deep thought and dozing, she jumped and grabbed her trolly, storing it safetly onto the train. She traveled up and down the compartments, searching for Harry and Ron. Finding them in a random compartment, she paused to look in. Lavender and Ginny sitting beside them, giggling like maniacs, made her back off and pass it. She knew that if she went in there they would either completely ignore her, or ask a million questions. And she also knew that she was ready for neither. They had written her a few letters over the summer, mostly just enough to be polite, but their letters never really said anything. She'd left them unaswered and she knew there would be questions as to why. She also knew that she just couldn't go into that right now. The wound was still too fresh and her pain was still too deep. She need time, though she didn't know how long. When she was ready.

Hermione went straight up to the heads cabin to relieve herself of the omminous feelings and the crowd. Rushing inside, she didn't noticed a figure already standing in the corner, looking out the window. He coughed and she spun, their eyes connecting in an instance.

"Malfoy," she said simply, almost in complete disbelief of the Head Boy badge twinkling on his chest. He nodded and turned away from her, sitting on a cushion and gazing again out the window. Hermione stood uncertainly for a moment, then like wise sat opposite him and pulled out a book. She waited tensely for the harsh words she was sure to hear from him for the book in her hands, but none came and she dared a glance over at him. He was still looking out the window, as if entirely oblivious to her presence. With a slight shrug of her shoulders and a creased eyebrow she turned back to her book.

_God, what is it about her that makes me this insane?_ Draco asked himself as he watched the passing scenery. As soon as he had entered the gates to the Hogwarts Express, he'd looked for her, watching her from across the station as she sat silently on a bench deep in her thoughts. Or was she deep in her memories? Ever since he had seen her the week before, hadn't been able to get her out of his head. He had just kept picturing her tear stained face as she sat in front of the grave with her black cloak and deep red roses, surrounded by the crisp leaves of fall and the first snowflakes dropping down and melting against her ivory skin. He'd felt her pain as clearly as if it were his own and now, sitting across from her, he could feel it radiating again. What about the man in the grave had caused her to feel as though life had given her a swift kick in the stomach? "Beloved son, brother, friend, and fiance." Had she been the other part of the fiance relationship that was permenantly engraved upon the rock? He glanced at her quickly and saw that the book was held loosly in her hand and her chin tucked against her chest as she slept silently.

Impulsively he reached for his bag and pulled out parchment and quill. He pulled his thoughts from his mind and sent them down his arms, along into his fingers as he wrote them upon the page.

Dear, lost child

I can only wonder what life has dealt you

Lost and alone

Poor child

Feelings are lost sometimes

But these feelings aren't

The breaking of the heart

The pain and suffering

The hurt

The helplessness

I feel your pain, dear, lost child

But I can still only wonder what life has dealt you

No comforting hands, I'm guessing

No smooth words that rest easily in your ear

No support for the dear, lost child

You've lost part of you

Come to me, dear, lost child

I will be your comforting hands

I will provide smooth words that rest easily in your ear

I will be the support for the dear lost child

Not the cold, weather beaten stone of loss

But the sun warmed, light stone of gaining

Forever to be, the dear, found child

He read back over what he had written and suddenly felt embarrassed. Draco tried to imagine Hermione's reaction if she was ever to read his poem and found himself feeling upset. He knew that she would think him insane to even look at her. He didn't understand it either. Before that day in the cemetry, he'd never given a thought to Hermione Granger and her well being. After that day, it seemed all he could think about. It frightened him. His whole life he'd been taught to dispise all muggle borns. And now, he was experiencing feelings for one who, before a week ago, had never crossed his mind unless he was thinking up rude, callous things to say to her. Guilt sliced through him like a knife and he knew then that he could never convince her that what he was feeling was real. Too real, for his taste.

Draco folded up the poem and was about to place it withing the contents of his bag, when an impulse struck him. He paused then turned back to her. Even though alseep, the close book remained in her hand. He reached over and slipped his poem between two pages. Frightened at what he had just done, he jumped up and practically ran from the compartment to be alone with his thoughts.

Alright, I hope you guys like this. I know, I'm a fool for doing more than one fan fic but I was just inspired. Review. I don't care if you flame, because it just proves to me that you're an insecure individual.


	2. Passing Moments and Secret Poems

Chapter 2: Passing Moments and Secret Poems

Hermione woke with a knot in her stomach. She hadn't meant to fall asleep and she could only wonder at the horrors Malfoy must have done to her face while in her vunerable position. Reaching for her bag, she pulled out a hand held mirror and checked for any abnormalties, blemishes, or clown faces. Her pleasant face stared back at her, completely unmarred of any cruelties that Malfoy may have thought up. Satisfied, she tossed the mirror back into her bag and quickly changed into her school uniform, pinning on her Head Girl badge. She glanced out the window, then unfastened it and stuck her hand out. Perplexed, she shut the window and frowned. The sun beamed brightly over head and the air was warm on her skin as the train flew past the country side. Something was going on with the weather, but she didn't know why. One week, it would be terribly cold, another, pleasantly sunny with a gentle summer breeze. A few days, unbearably hot with 112 degree weather. A solid week of rain, and then even a few snowflakes. Unnatural, and caused by something a little less on the nice side, she was guessing. Hermione wondered if the professors had been researching it.

The opening of the compartment door shook Hermione out of her thoughts as Draco Malfoy slipped into the room. He met her eyes with icy, guarded blue ones, then dipped his head as he reached for his sachel and moved back towards the door. Hermione looked him over before he ducked out again and, even though she wouldn't admit it, was impressed with his looks. He'd let his fair hair grow over the last year and it now hung loosely at his shoulders. His light blue eyes where startling at first glance, sky blue eyes with gray flecks that gave the illusion of cracked, blue ice, surrounded by a ring of navy. A thin, well shaped nose and bow shaped lips combined with fair skin and a tall, lean form made him seem as though he'd descended right out of the sky. Only his temperment and attitude destroyed the picture.

Hermione sat down, wondering what type of girl Malfoy liked. Obviously stupid ones. How else could he lure them into bed? Anyone who had half a brain cell knew Draco Malfoy's reputation for being the "Wham bam, thank you ma'am," type. Probably everything that Hermione wasn't. She didn't think she was ugly. Over the years, she had turned from the bushy haired, buck toothed little know-it-all to a curvy young woman. Having lost a few pounds, she managed to fit herself into a size 8 jeans. She'd managed to get some control over her hair and she enjoyed having it down to her waist. Her deep brown eyes were warm and her heart shaped face, almost pixish in it's formation. No, Malfoy probably liked leggy blondes with out a brain or a heart.

She grabbed her book and bag as she stood back up. Thinking maybe she could find Harry and Ron alone so they could chat about nonsensical things for a while, she noticed a piece of paper fall from her book. Hermione frowned and picked it up. She read the words upon the page and was touched at the insight of the writer. A poem about a lost child and their want to help the child find her way. It touched home and she wondered about who the writer could be. It was a new book, she'd just gotten it that day at the book store near the train station. Walking passed, she'd noticed it and picked it up to read on the way to Hogwarts. Anyone could have stuck it in there. Refolding it, she stuck it in her pocket and continued out the compartment door to find Harry and Ron.

Hermione found them in the same compartment they'd been in earlier, alone speaking quietly. She slid to the floor beside the door and cracked it slightly in order to hear their conversation. She didn't want her presence known just yet.

"I don't know what's up with Hermione. Her mother told me that she's still torn up about Andrew," Harry said, picking at one of his nails.

"Still?" Ron commented. "You'd think she'd be at least half way over that. Hermione's always been so sensible. I mean, she's just a teenager. There will be other loves. She's just so worked up over this. It's not like it can be helped. People die, it's part of life. She needs to move on and live life. "

"I know. I hope she doesn't really say anything about it to us. I don't think I could handle another teary female. Ginny cries enough, I can't have Hermione do it too."

Hermione was slapped with shock and she trembled terribly. Tears filled her eyes and their words stung her. The feeling of having her very flesh seared off racked her body. _I can't believe them. And to think they call themselves my best friends. Those jackasses. They don't understand anything. They will never understand the love Andrew and I had. **They** couldn't handle loving someone or knowing what if feels like to to be rendered completely empty of everything you knew. _Hermione's hurt turned into violent anger. _You children. You have no comprehension of what real pain is. Yeah, you're parents may be dead, Harry but you never even knew them. And Ron? What do you have to complain about? You have a warm and loving family. God, you want to see pain? _Her face reddened and she darted blood shot eyes to the door. _I'll show you pain. I'll rip your bloody heads off and drink from your fucking jugulars._ She reached up to open the door and storm in with half a mind to kill them both when a strong hand reached out and snatched her wrist. Hermione opened her mouth to scream, but another hand slammed it shut and hauled her to their chest and away from the door. A flailing leg hit the wall with a loud bang. Harry and Ron jumped up and opened the compartment door, but the disembodied arms and Hermione had already disappeared into a close compartment.

Hermione struggled against the arms until they let her go and a light was switched on. She turned and saw Draco Malfoy leaning against the door. Angered beyond belief, she stepped toward him and smacked him on his arm and again on his chest. She attempted more blows to his muscular body, but he blocked them easily.

"What the Hell do you think you're doing, hauling me in here?" she shouted. Malfoy pushed her against the opposite wall and again clapped his hand over her mouth.

"Did you think that I was going to stand there and let the Head Girl attack her two best friends even before school actually started? I don't think so, Ms. Granger. I do believe that would leave a very bad impression on both the professors and the Headmaster. Do you want the position of Head Girl taken away?" he asked and smirked as she silently shook her head. "That's what I thought. Now, go to the head compartment and clean your face. Don't even think about saying anything to Golden Boy and the weasle." He released her. Hermione stared at him for a moment, then dropped her head and stormed out of the compartment. _Insufferable little lunatic. Hopefully I won't have to save the other two thirds of the Golden Trio from the rath of Hermione Granger. She looked as if she was going to naw off their heads with her own teeth. _At this thought Draco Malfoy laughed a little to himself and swept away from the compartment.

_I can't believe he just did that! Damn him! Since when is it any of his business? The nerve of that...that...ugh, I can't even think up a name for him! _Hermione fummed, stalking back and for in the compartment. She sat down, buried her hands in her face and sighed. The sky had grown dark and she could feel the train slowing. Malfoy didn't come back to the compartment and when the train stopped, she grabbed her stuff and took a run for it off the train.

The cool night air caressed her face and soothed her heated skin. It provided a small comfort to hear Hagrid's shouts of "First 'ears over here!" as she made her way over to the horseless carriages. Storing her trunk onto the back, opened the door to the designated carriage for the Heads and almost jumped back when she saw Malfoy already sitting there. She stepped in and scooted as far away from him as she could and pulled the curtain back from the window to look out. The trip over the lake was silent and neither said a thing to the other when the stepped out and entered the Great Hall. Hermione glided passed the seat that Harry and Ron had saved for her and sat with a thump between Pavarti and Lavender.

"Hi, Hermione!" Pavarti exclaimed as the sorting was going on. "How've you been? You look great! You've changed a lot over the summer."

"Yeah, I wish I could get my hair to grow like this!" Lavender said as she grabbed the braid Hermione had twisted her hair into. "You know, long hair is the latest fashion. It seems like everyone is growing their's out." Hermione just politely smiled in return.

"I heard about the accident with your boyfriend. I'm so incredibly sorry. Is there anything I can do?" Pavarti asked and Hermione was stunned for a moment. Pavarti was actually asking to be of some help! _Wow, must be a first for her!_ Hermione thought.

"No, there's nothing. Thank you, though," she answered and was internally grateful when Dumbledore made his speech. It was the usual "Don't go into the Forbidden Forest. There is a reason it's called that. Filch has a list of band things for you to see blah blah blah." Through the whole dinner, Hermione could feel four different pairs of eyes burning into her skin. Ron's, Harry's, Malfoy's, and Dumbledore's. Ron and Harry were watching her in confusion, Malfoy's gaze was patronizing, and she knew if she looked up at the Headmaster she would see that knowing twinkle that he always seemed to have, just as if he knew what was happening. She looked at none of them, trying instead to concentrate on her mashed potatoes and carrots. She pushed her food around her plate, sometimes making faces with it and different shapes such as hearts and flowers. Smirking at the little smiley face she had created, she smushed it up and changed it into a frowny face with a tear. Lavender noticed, but didn't say anything to her, only gave her a startled look and went back to her soup.

Dinner ended and Dumbledore dismissed them to their common rooms. Professor McGonagall met Hermione and Malfoy at the entrance to the Great Hall and without a word they followed her up to the Head's Dormatories. A tapestry served as the entrance. It was navy blue and inlade with gold and silver threads, portraying the first Hogwarts Head Boy and Girl.

"You're password is _Higstansum unum_. I expect no fighting or quarrels between either of you the entire year. You've grown into young adults and I expect you to act accordingly," she said with a stern look at Malfoy, who just gazed back with a confident look on his face. With a curt "goodnight," she turned on her heel and proceeded back down the steps.

Hermione turned and whispered the password. The tapestry slipped back and allowed them through the archway into the main quarters. A fireplace sat to Hermione's left and a work/study space to her right. Books lined the walls in a mini library and the couches were plush and looked very comfortable. A perfect blend of cream and dark blue. A staircase in the middle led up to the second floor, Malfoy's room clearly marked on the right and Hermione's like wise on the left. She ran up the stairs and over to her room, opening it to a beautiful room of varying shades of purple. A queen sized bed covered by a light blue comforter and dust ruffle had dark, light, and medium toned pillows stacked up on it, surrounded by the deepest violet blackout curtains hanging from the canopy. A soft white rug covered hard wood floors and all the decor was of light stained oak. Two glass french doors led out onto a balcony overlooking the grounds. Her trunk sat at the foot of the bed just waiting to be unpacked. Hermione tossed herself on her bed and sighed. It was the most amazing room she'd ever seen.

Sliding off the bed, she started to unpack her things. Her clothes went into the dresser or closet and her school books on her desk. The bag of makeup and hair supplies sat on the bed for now waiting to be put into the bathroom. She came to the picture of she and Andrew from last summer she'd had framed. Hermione pulled it out and sat down gazing in longing at it. It showed them at the beach together against the setting sun laughing in each others arms. She sighed and silently wished to go back to that wonderful day that she'd had with him. It simply wasn't fair. What kind of cruel God would take something away, just like that with no reason at all?

Andrew had just been walking down the sidewalk, going home from a haircut when an out of control car which had blown two tires verred off the road and slammed into him. The doctors said he died instantly and he'd felt no pain. It'd happened on a Friday at the end of May, just when Hermione was almost out of school. She'd no doubt that by now the whole school was aware of what had happened. She knew that when people talked to her, they were skirting around subjects that may make her upset.

Hermione sighed and set the picture aside. Grabbing her makeup back, she made her way into the bathroom. Malfoy was already in there, putting his toletries away. That bathroom was pleasantly decorated in white tile and white lace curtains. A huge shower was in the far right corner and a deep tub near it. A plain toliet and a beautiful vanity with a huge mirror finished off the picture. Hermione set her bag on the counter and put her tooth brush and tooth paste around her sink. Her makeup went into the cabinet and her shampoo, conditioner, and body wash into the shower. She hesitated before putting them in the shower. _Is it too...I don't know, intamate to put my hair stuff in there? What would Malfoy think?_ Obviously he didn't care that much because his shampoo and soap were already there. Of course, the most expensive and imported shampoo. Hermione snorted when she saw this and glanced down at her store bought Herbal Essance. _Figures Malfoy thinks too much of himself to lower down to using store bought items_. She put them on the shelf over his.

When she stepped out, she saw that Malfoy had shed his shirt and was brushing his teeth. She almost jumped back in the shower, but controled the urge and instead started to unravel her hair from it's braid. It waved perfectly and laid against her back like a curtain of silk. She glanced over at the shirtless Malfoy. _It's hot in here and I've got an undershirt on. If he can take his off, so can I._ Hermione shed her school robes, revealing blue jeans and a black spagetti strapped shirt that showed an inch over her somach and dipped impossibly low in the front. Watching him out of the corner of her eye and almost laughed out loud at the shocked look on Malfoy's face. Quickly she brushed her teeth and washed her face before grabbing her clothes and dipping back into her room.

The clock in the corner read 10 o'clock. Not very late, but she turned back her bedclothes, slipped into pj's, extinguished the lamps, and climbed into bed. She lay there thinking about the day and about Andrew. Hermione found herself, like on many other nights she'd laid awake, wishing wildly for the days she'd spent with him and how happy she'd been with him. She longed to be happy again, but she knew she couldn't without Andrew. Even if her friends at home asked her to go out with them she felt guilty because she thought that that would be betraying Andrew's memory.

_Andrew, I need you back with me. I can't take this anymore...I wish you were near. I wish that you would come back and hold me like you used to. And we would talk in front of the fireplace. You would say "I love you, Hermione. And I want you with me the rest of my life. Forever and ever," and I would say, "I love you more. Never leave me," and you would promise me that you would never leave. But you did leave. And now...I'm alone and something is missing. A part me is missing and it's something that can't be replaced. I hurt so bad and I can't do this._ She was openly weeping against her pillow now. _I just can't. People are telling me to move on, but I can't. I can't lose you, even though you're already lost. Everything just passes without you. I breathe...I eat...I sleep...but I don't live. I understand that we'll never be together and I understand that you aren't coming back for me, but part of me wants to hold onto you're memory forever. I love you too much to give up. Falling in love and being with others could make the memories of us evaporate into thin air, and I don't want to lose that. I can't. At night, I dream of you and only you. You're close, we can almost touch, but then you slowly slip away in a blanket of fog. I reach for you and I come so close, but I just miss you. And you're gone. Your face, your hands, your everything. And I cry and cry. I fall and still cry. I wake up and I feel so alone and so empty. I'm so empty. My soul is empty. And without you, I know it will never be filled. Because you were so ruthlessly and cruelly ripped from me, I will forever live in agony from missing you. Sometimes I look for you when I'm out. I've dialed your number expecting you to pick up. I've called for you in the garden, expecting you to answer only to realize you aren't there. My family watches all of this and they worry that I've lost my mind. I haven't. I'm just missing you. Oh Andrew, I love you so much..._


	3. Hysterical Tears and Old Fashioned Cures

Chapter 3: Hysterical Tears and Old Fashioned Cures

Draco stood in the threshold of Hermione's room dressed only in black pajama bottoms, watching with pity as she went into hysterical tears. Laying there clutching her pillow, whispering words he couldn't hear, and sobbing openly, he felt her pain again, this time overwhelmingly. He was trembling and felt as though he would fall. The urging to comfort both her and himself shut the thoughts of upbringing, the words his father used to describe girls like Hermione, and everything that he had been trained to think, completely out of his head.

He turned away and into the bath room where he filled the tub full of ice cold water. Moving swiftly, he re-entered Hermione's room and picked her up out of her bed. She didn't even struggle, just moaned sorrowfully into his chest. Draco stood in front of the tub and dunked her in. Emerging from the chilled water, she gasped and shook. Sitting there cold and wet, she quit crying hysterically and sniffed a little. Hermione glanced over at him with blood shot eyes. He knelt down next to the tub and crossed his arms on the rim.

"Better?" he asked, a smile on his face. She just stared at him for a second, nodded, and then splashed him a little in the face. He laughed and grabbed her a towel.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked as stood. He looked at her with sympathy. "I understand what you're going through. I know what it's like to lose someone you love. And I know that going it alone isn't the way to get through it. So, I figured, why not help?"

Hermione's face grew red as he watched. She stepped out of the tub and snatched the towel out of his hands. "**_You_** think that you know what I'm going through? You, Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius Malfoy, also known as the boy without a heart. You have no clue what I'm going through. You can't possibly comprehend how it feels to have your heart ripped out!" she shouted. She slapped him in the face. "You son of a bitch! No, you don't know! You don't!" Another slap on the arm. "Stop saying you know! I hate you! I hate you!"

She backed him up against the wall, slamming blow after blow on his body screaming "You don't!" with each. Tears were spilling down her face, but Malfoy didn't lift a finger to defend himself until her hits became weaker and weaker.

Malfoy grabbed her arms to stop her hitting him. He spun her around and slammed her wet body against his bare chest and slapped his hand over her mouth for the third time that day. He looked at her through the mirror. She was breathing hard and staring at him hatefully.

"I admit that I've been horrible to you for six years. I understand that you hate me. But you are just going to have to get over that. Hermione, you are at a bad place in your life and you can't do it alone. I do know what it's like. You know how many times I've watched my Father kill my friends?" Hermione's eyes widened and she leaned back against his chest. He pulled his hand away from her face, closed the toliet lid, and sat her down on it. "I've seen it. I understand and I know your pain." He knelt down and sat crosslegged in front of her.

"I had a friend when I was about 6 years old; his name was Adam. Adam's Father and my Father had business together, so Adam and I passed the time playing. We were close. I was never told the whole story, but one day, Adam just stopped coming over. I asked my Mum, and she said that Adam's Father owed Lucius money. And when he didn't get it, he "took care of them." I figured out later that Lucius killed them himself. Do you know how much that hurt? Knowing that your own Father murdered someone you cared for?" Hermione snorted. She pushed Malfoy back and stood. Leaning against the vanity, she turned and looked at him.

"You are such a hypocrite. You worshiped the ground your Father walked on! It's not the same! It's not! You don't understand! No one does!" With that final shout, Hermione picked up a bottle of bubble bath from the tub and threw it at the mirror. It shattered beneath the impact and fell all over the vanity and floor. Malfoy shot up and pulled out his wand, immediatly fixing the mirror back. Hermione collapsed in tears on the floor.

He sighed and stared down at her on the foor. _Such a pitiful creature. _He looked up at the ceiling._ The Gods must be insane._ Malfoy bent and picked her up and took her back to her room. She didn't protest in the least when he pulled her shirt and pajama bottoms off and replaced them with clean, dry ones. He pulled back the covers, tucked her in, then slipped in beside her.

"Why don't you just go?" she whispered. He thought a moment before whispering back.

"Honestly, I don't know. Just taking a step back and looking at you makes me realize how much of jackasses you friends really are. And how much you need the comfort of someone else, no matter if you hate them or not. No one else is stepping up to the job."

She hesitated for a moment before scooting closer and allowing him to wrap his arms around her. "I still hate you though," she said. He chuckled and held her close. "But it's nice to know someone cares..."

Malfoy looked down as her voice trailed off.

"Poor, dear child."

Review please! I like it when people say nice things about my work!


	4. Feelings of Loneliness and Want

Awww...all these really nice reviews are making me blush! Thanks so much guys! Especially you, ImmaculateInanimate. That's really sweet. Thanks again, you all!

Chapter 4: Feelings of Loneliness and Want

Hermione woke with her face stiff and her eyes almost glued shut. She scrubbed sleepily at them and sat up. Glancing to her left, she saw Malfoy's sleeping form in her bed and completely forgetting what had happened the night before, screeched and fell of the bed, taking the sheet with her. Malfoy jumped and yelled "Battle stations, men!" and fell off the other side. Hermione lay there for a moment as her memory returned and the realization of what Malfoy had just said hit her. Climbing her way up onto the bed, she crawled to the other side with the sheet wrapped around her.

"Battle stations?" she asked. He looked up at her angrily. She laughed and patted him on the shoulder. "It's okay, one time Andrew was asleep on my couch and when I threw a pillow at him, he yelled "Retreat! Leave the tequila and save yourselves!" so, I'm guessing battles are what men dream about." He chuckled and shook his head.

"Bet it wasn't as funny as what you were murmmering in your sleep." His voiced transformed into a poor impression of Hermione. "No, I didn't order salmon with chocolate chips. I said I wanted a chocolate chip cookie! Where's my cookie?" It was all I could do to keep from laughing out loud," he said through chuckles. Hermione gasped and smacked him in the face with a pillow. With her arms crossed over the pillow they stared at each other for a moment. He reached up and grabbed her hair, which was hanging off the edge of the bed. He twirled it around his fingers, then raised it to his lips and kissed it. His action sparked something in Hermione and she jumped.

"What's wrong with us? You're supposed to hate me. Why have you suddenly changed? I mean, people don't just change into a different person all of a sudden. And after what you've put me through for 6 years, how can I trust you?" she pulled away from the edge of the bed. Malfoy sat up scowling.

"God, are we back to that again?" he asked harshly, standing. Hermione huffed. "We've never talked about it. I want the truth, Malfoy! What is your motive?"

"I have to have a motive? Ugh!" he walked into the bathroom and slammed the door behind him.

"I'm not finished yet, Malfoy! Don't you walk away from me!" she pulled at the door handle, but he'd locked it.

"How can I not walk away from you? You need to learn to trust people."

"What? How can I trust you after all that you've put me through? How can you expect me to trust you?"

"Well, I'm not like that! I'm not the bad guy anymore! Why can't you just accept that? It's not fair!"

"Draco!" she slammed her fist against the door. "I can't accept anything anymore! It just doesn't work like that! I need you to prove to me that you've changed." She heard him sigh through the door and lean against it. He slid down it and she sat too.

"Hermione, I never wanted to hurt you all those years. And...I'm sorry. I just...I'm tired of being the one that everyone hates. And I'm tired of being my Father's son. I want to be me. And want people to accept that." Hermione put her head against the door.

"I know. But I'm not ready for it. I need some time. I just need time to sort everything out. My best friends have turned against me and now my worst enemy is my counselor. What else? Is it going to start raining little pink piggies?" She heard him laugh softly through the door.

"To be honest with you, I don't know why I want to help you. I hate my Father, but everything he's taught me has just become...I don't know...instinct, I guess. It's like, automatic. I hate that, but it's true. I mean, when he died, I thought that I was going to be normal. I was going to be able to have the friends I wanted and be able to do the things I wanted, but I can't. I'm holding myself back," he heaved another heavy sigh. "And then, the moment I saw you in the graveyard, I knew..."

"WHAT?" Hermione jumped up and wrenched the door open. Draco fell backward and then scrambled to his feet. "You saw me in the cemetry?" He looked almost shocked and nodded slightly. "You were the one I heard! You were eavesdropping on me! I can't believe you! Why would you do that?" Tears filled her eyes and she ran away from him, out onto the balcony.

"Hermione! I'm sorry! I didn't know who you were! I couldn't see your face and I just had to find out who it was!" he said, following.

"You saw me in my most vunerable state! And I bet you just sat back and laughed when you saw Hermione Granger, mudblood know-it-all talking to a head stone! You don't understand anything! Everything you said last night is complete bull shit!" she sat with her knees drawn up to her chest, crying again.

"No. I pitied you. I felt horrible for you. And I do understand. I doesn't matter if your a mudblood or a pureblood or a fucking alien. When someone dies, it puts a hole right in the middle of your heart. A hole as deep and empty as a bottomless pit and there is nothing you can do about it. It's a hole that can't be filled, so you're stuck with a gapping wound that doesn't heal, doesn't even bleed, just sits there mockingly. You're broken and completely eaten alive by coldness. And you want so bad to be warm and happy again. But you can't. You can't because of the fucking gapping hole in your fucking heart. Sometimes you wish that they would come back, other times you wish you wouldn't have met them that way when they died, you wouldn't be in as much pain as you are. You blood still pumps, your lungs still demand air, you go to sleep and you wake up the next day, but you feel incomplete. Like someones cut your leg off at the hip and you can no longer stand. You wish that the ground would just open and swallow you whole. You're soul has shattered and you can't put the pieces back together because some have been lost in the wreckage. Don't tell me I don't understand, Hermione, because dammit, I do! I fucking understand! But I do know something you don't. That life goes on! People go on! You can't just stop living because someone else is gone. Life doesn't work that way. _You _have to understand that Andrew is never coming back and there are other people on this planet that care about you and want to you to care too." Draco knelt down and grabbed her upper arms, forcing her to face him. "You have to come back to us. Andrew is gone and it's time to start thinking about life again.

"NO! I comprehend the fact that Andrew is never coming back to me! I know that! But I _will not_ betray his memory by forgetting about him! I _will not_ replace him! I would be a traitor to even think about leaving him." she snapped, crying hysterically and struggling against his strong hands. Draco shook her hard and she stilled.

"I'm not telling you to forget or replace Andrew! Do you think it would make him happy to see you suffering like this in oder to keep his memory alive? Do you think it would make him happy to see you throw your life away to try and keep someone who's already passed on into the afterlife in this world? Personally, it would hurt me more to see that than to see the person I love with someone else. Andrew wants you happy, Hermione! He wants you to be happy and that means doing the things you love and being with the people you love!" Hermione stared into Draco's eyes and found every bit of them sincere. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sobbed into his shoulder.

"I just miss him so badly. I don't want to forget him, Draco! I don't want his memory to leave me! I don't want to have to struggle to remember his face. I don't want to have to strain to hear his voice or feel his touch. I want to remember all the things we did and all the time we had together. I'm afraid being with someone else will make me forget," she whispered. Draco rubbed her back and pulled her into his lap.

"Hermione, it will fade. You can't remember everything. But he'll always have touched your life. He's left an imprint on you and he's helped you become a better person. If you ever come across a time where you want to remember something, just look at yourself. Every action, every passion you shared, every touch and word, they are all there. They've all left their mark on you." He laid his head on top of hers and stroked her hair.

Then she uttered the words he'd been waiting for, but never thought would come in such a short time.

"I don't want to be alone anymore."


	5. Raging Fires and a First Kiss

Chapter 5: Raging Fires and a First Kiss

"Hermione! Hermione! It's Harry and Ron! Let us in, please!" At the sound of Harry and Ron's shouts, Hermione jumped back from Draco's arms. He let her go reluctantly and scowled deeply. _Great, just when she was opening up to me, they just had to come along and ruin it. Another reason on the list of "Why I hate Potter and Weasley."_

"Oh!" she breathed, standing and scrubbing her face. "Oh, my! What do I..." She glanced hopefully over at Draco, her eyes wide and pleading. He sighed as if just having run ten miles.

"Alright, alright. I'll tell them you're in the bathroom," he said, with his head hanging low. She hesitated a moment, then shocked Draco almost out of his pants when she reached up and kissed his cheek, hugging him close.

"Thank you," she whispered, then ran into the bathroom.

Draco touched his cheek slightly. _That girl is something else all together_._ Now to deal with the dynamic degenerates._ He exited via Hermione's room, grabbing his robe to cover his half nakedness, and ran down the steps, to the entrance. He opened the door behind the tapestry and allowed them in grudgingly.

"Granger's in the lavatory," he snarled, reverting back to his old self as a protectant against what he'd revealed to Hermione. Hell would freeze over before he'd let them onto their secret.

"Whatever, Malfoy," Ron answered. Draco stared at him coldly for a moment, then turned on his heal and headed back to his room. He knocked on the door to the bathroom quietly and cracked it slightly.

"Hermione? What do I do now?" he whispered. She turned from her place at the sink and rushed over to him.

"I've got things under control now. I'll be out in a minute," she whispered back. Draco saw that she'd changed from her pajamas into a pair of shorts and an oversized sweatshirt. Her hair pulled back into a tight braid and her face cleansed of all tear streaks, it looked as if their fight and Hermione's break down had never happened. She smiled slightly and touched his hair. He nuzzled her hand and kissed her palm, pay back for the kiss she'd given him. Hermione pulled away and crossed the room, going through her room and down the sairs.

"Hello Harry, Ron," she said confidently as she stepped off the bottom stair. Underneath her strong outer shell, she was trembling terribly and crying inside. _God, I don't think I can do this. What am I going to say?_ Could she say anything about what she'd heard on the train, or did she just let it go and pretend like nothing had happened.

"Hermione! We've missed you!" Ron exclaimed, pulling her into a close hug. Harry leaned in and kissed her cheek. She controlled her impulse to jerk back from their affectionate touches, for fear they would be angered before she could say anything.

"I've missed you too..." she said uncertainly. She jestured for them to sit and they made them selves comfortable on the plush couches. Hermione snuck a glance up to the second floor and saw Draco leaning partially hidden by the shadow in his doorway. Relief washed over her skin and she relaxed a little under his watchful eyes. She knew that at one shout he'd be down the stairs and across to her in a second.

Harry and Ron started talking about things Hermione really didn't care to hear about, so she put on the "I'm really listening to you" face and preceeded to withdraw into her own thoughts. They flowed toward her newly found friendship with Draco Malfoy. She wasn't sure if she really did trust him. So far, he was the only person she'd found who actually knew what she was going through. And it was so wonderful to have that. Hermione felt guilty for a moment. _Am I using him to make myself feel better? It certainly seems that way, doesn't it?_ She was horribly confused at this thought. _I don't want to use him. But what are supposed to do when your enemy is telling you that everything will be right in time, and your friends have refused to even consol and level with you? I don't understand this._

Draco watched her internal struggle from his place at the threshold of his room. _Man, those two must be bloody idiots if they can't see that she's getting upset. All they do is sit there and talk and talk and talk. They don't even pay any attention to her. Hopefully Hermione's going to be able to keep her cool and not eat their arms off._ Draco smiled at the thought. _Oh wow. That would be hilarious. I'd pay money to see that!_

"So, Hermione, how've you been? You're Mom told us what happened. We're sorry," Ron said. It shook Hermione awake and the underlying fury that she seemed to always be carrying with her these days flared. _Oh God. They're sorry? They're my friends! They were supposed to be with me when I needed them!_ Harry's words on the train rung in her ears painfully: "I hope she doesn't really say anything about it to us. I don't think I could handle another teary female. Ginny cries enough, I can't have Hermione do it too."

"Why do you care?" she practically snarled. Harry and Ron looked like their eyes were going to pop out. "You didn't seem to think I needed any consoling over the summer because you know, it was just my fiance who died. It's not like that is a big deal or anything."

"Well, Hermione, you are just a teenager. You can't just live like you're dying for the rest of your life. Things like this happen," Ron said sheepishly, his face turning blood red with embarrassment.

"Oh! Oh, that's right! I'm just a teenager. You know, somehow, Ron, that really doesn't make it any better. Friends are supposed to be there when the other needs them. My future husband, the man I was willing to spend the rest of my life with, DIED! And you...you didn't care. You didn't care enough to spend even five minutes with your so called best friend when she needed you the most. Something just doesn't add up there. I don't think that I need to sit here with you fucking assholes anymore!" Hermione stood and ran up the stairs to her room, crying as she went. Harry and Ron tried to follow, but Malfoy blocked them at the top of the stairs.

"I don't think so, boys. Out!" he snapped. Harry and Ron looked at him. Ron stepped forward to push Draco out of the way, but Draco pulled out his wand and pointed it at his chest. "I said out." His voice was low and menecing. Harry and Ron backed off and stormed out of the room, pissed as Hell.

When he was sure the two Golden Boys were out of the way, Draco followed Hermione's path into her room. She'd thrown herself on her bed, but wasn't crying. A few sniffles and a sigh escaped, and Draco was relieved she wasn't making herself sick over those two asses. He laid on the bed beside her and pulled her close. She turned and looked up at him, finding the caring and compassion she'd been longing to see in Harry and Ron, in Draco's eyes. She touched his cheek and ran her fingers through his white blonde hair. Smiling, he squeezed her hand softly and leaned in a little closer. When she didn't protest, he hesitantly caressed her lips with his, unsure of her reaction. She moved under him, wrapping her arms around his neck and intertwining their legs, pulling him closer. He kissed her deeply with gentle pressure on her lips and his tongue sweetly running around their edge, begging for an entrance. She allowed, and their tongues flicked together and danced the dance of passion.

Hermione didn't know where she was at. Lost in the sweet nectare of passion, she was absent of any feelings of guilty or displeasure. _Oh...wow. I feel so...alive..._She felt then, her first real joy since the death of her love...

Hey ho, and away we go! See ya next week with a brand new show!

Thanks for the few reviews guys, it's greatly appreciated.


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